


How Tasha Really Died

by twodandelions



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-04-20 12:48:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14261319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twodandelions/pseuds/twodandelions
Summary: Tasha lived to die another day. Set in season 7, the Enterprise comes upon a deserted human colony. After research, they discover that there have been three extremely similar disappearances throughout history. They investigate.





	1. Croatan

Deanna sat alone in ten forward, hands wrapped around a melted chocolate sundae. She was turned away from the bar, sitting as close to the windows as possible. All the tables near her were empty.

How had she not realized? She should have felt it, should have seen the extent of it. She turned her sundae bowl around in circles, eyes fixed on some unfocused point out there in the ether. There had been one time she had felt something, now that she thought about it. One time she’d interpreted it all wrong.

It had been Tasha’s birthday, after a long mission near the neutral zone. Deanna had arranged the party, replicated a cake, wrapped her present herself. It was in Tasha’s quarters, a surprise for when she came back from the holosuite. 

Deanna bit her lip. Had it really been over a year ago? She could see it, as clear as when it had happened, playing over again in her mind. She was standing with Worf, together but not speaking to the same person. That was in the awkward early days of their relationship, when they didn’t quite know how to act, how to fit together.

The doors slid open, and Tasha walked in, her hair hanging in clumps, her shirt clinging to her chest with sweat. She clapped a hand to her mouth and laughed, looking around to see who had done it.

“Deanna!” she said.

Deanna!

She could still hear it, and with it, a powerful rush of emotions, stronger than she’d ever felt from Tasha, rolling out like crashing waves upon Deanna’s shore. She had thought it was simply happiness, excitement, relief that someone had remembered her birthday. But Deanna knew better than that now.

She pushed that smile from her mind, the one Tasha had worn as she unwrapped Deanna’s gift, a silk nightgown that flowed like river water in sunlight. The smile she’d worn as she said that word, Deanna!

What amazed her more than her obliviousness to Tasha’s emotions, was her obliviousness to her own. But it was different this time, different than before. 

Sometimes the truth doesn’t come until it’s too late.

***

“Are you picking up life signs?” Will asked, fingering the phaser on his belt.

They were in the open courtyard, at the center of community in the Wilderson colony. There should have been 230 colonists there, but instead, the entire population seemed to have vanished.

“Negative,” Data said. “Minor animal life, but no humanoids.”

Tasha brushed a prickly green branch away, stepping from underneath the piney tree. “Where did everyone go?”

“Uncertain.” Data shook his head. “The inventory logs mark nothing missing.”

“It’s like they just walked away,” Will said

“Unlikely. I detected no life signs from orbit.”

“Could it have been… I don’t know. An abduction?” Tasha asked.

“It is a possibility.”

“I don’t see any other possibilities,” Will said. “What about Borg?” 

Data shook his head. “The electromagnetic field around the planet would have been significantly disrupted. And there does not seem to be anything to indicate that there was a struggle.”

“They must have been beamed out.” Tasha picked up a chrome tool from a workbench and turned it over in her hands before setting it down. “All at once, too, or there’d be signs that the others noticed. What could have a strong enough transporter?” 

“I do not know.”

“Let’s split up,” Will said. “Take a look around outside.”

Each went a different way, Will through a large stone archway into a garden, Tasha into the building, and Data through a hall into the woods.

The trees were dense, the underbrush thick, and everywhere Data turned, there were more and more different plants, similar to Earth life, but much greener. Data noted the increased levels of chlorophyll. 

There was no trail, but he had no problem moving through the heavy brush, head turning back and forth to take it all in. This area seemed to be a forgotten backyard to the large community building they had just left. Only reclamation units stood behind it. Other than that, it looked as though no one had ever stepped foot here before.

But clearly they had. Data tapped his intercom. “Commander,” he said. “I believe I have found something of interest.”

Carved into the bark of the tree in front of him was one word. Croatan.

***

“So,” Captain Picard said, arms neatly clasped in front of him. “What do we know? Data?”

“In the late 16th century, in what was to become the state North Carolina in America, a colony founded by Sir Walter Raleigh was built on Roanoke Island. The 115 colonists went missing within five years. The only clue to their departure was the word ‘Croatan’, carved into the fence around the village. It has never been discovered where the colonists disappeared to.”

“How long ago was this?” Will asked. 

“812 years ago.”

“And the other instances you mentioned?” Picard said.

“Yes. There are two colonies with similar disappearances that I have found in the database. One in what would be the Earth year 1986, to a settlement on the Andorian homeworld. The word ‘Croatan’ was found written in chalk on a rock wall. Another, in the year 2202, to a Vulcan colony on the planet K’ret III, again, with the word ‘Croatan’ written on a sheet of paper. It is important to note that the word does not appear in the languages of these particular civilizations, although it is the name of a tribe of Native American Indians that was living near Roanoke Island at the time of the colony’s disappearance. An equally important observation is that each of these instances, including the Wilderson colony, are nearly 200 years apart, except for the Roanoke colony, which was 400 years before the Andorian disappearance. It is extremely likely however, that there is a gap in records, as the occurrence would have happened around the Earth year 1800.”

Glances were exchanged across the conference table. Captain Picard scrunched his eyebrows together and frowned. There was silence for a moment as he looked at each of his senior staff members in turn. 

At last he said, “I’m open to suggestions.”

The silence remained for a minute before Geordi spoke. “I say we learn more about the colony on K’ret III. Vulcans keep really good records, right? Well we don’t we start there?”

The captain turned to Data, the question reading on his face.

“It does seem a logical choice. The ruins of the colony have been preserved impeccably for nearly 200 years.”

Captain Picard nodded. He stood and tugged his uniform shirt down. “Data, contact the appropriate officials to arrange a visit to the colony. La Forge, how far are we from Vulcan?”

“About 3 days at high warp, sir.”

Picard deepened the lines in his forehead. “Dismissed.”


	2. Snake Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew investigates the abandoned Vulcan colony on K'ret III. They experience an unexplained impact in orbit.

_“Counselor Troi, you’re needed in Transporter Room One.” ___

____

____

Deanna tapped her combadge. “Acknowledged.”

She leaned back in her seat, running her thumb over the edge of her PADD. “Sorry about that. Go on?”

The young ensign across from her shook their head. “What was that? Who’s waiting for you in the transporter room?”

Deanna shook her head. “Not important. Please, tell me more about your compulsions?”

“Well,” the ensign said, biting their lip. “Before I go on duty, I have to secure the doors to my quarters. Even if I’m somewhere else, before I report to the lab I have to go back to my room and-” They sat up in their seat. “You’re not listening.”

Deanna looked back up at them, smoothing her hands over her PADD. “I am listening.”

“No, you’re not.” 

“I am, really. I’m just-”

They shook their head. “Nevermind. I’m okay, we can talk later. You need to go to the transporter room.”

“But there’s still five minutes left. Why don’t you sit back down?”

“No, I’m on duty after this and I have to go lock the doors to my room first.”

“Are you sure?”

They smiled, their lips a little too tight, but their eyes sincere. “Yes. What about…”

“The appointment for tomorrow is still on.”

They nodded sharply. “Well, I’ll see you then.”

The doors slid shut behind them. Deanna leaned back in her seat, turning her PADD over and over again in her hands, her eyes unfocused. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes.

The voice sounded in her mind. _“Nice of you to come meet me. Where are you?” ___

____

____

Deanna answered in her mind before she had a chance to stop herself. _“My office.” _She sighed again and rested her head on the cushion behind her.__

____

____

A few minutes later, the doors slid open. Deanna hadn’t moved.

“I had to ask three different people for directions. One of them got the floor wrong and I ended up in some lab. Star cartography? Anyway, something like that.”

In the doorway stood Lwaxonna Troi, wearing a burgundy wig and a long flowing silver dress. She looked strangely like an angel.

“You could have asked the computer,” Deanna said, tilting her head to see her mother, squinting at the reflective dress.

The door slid shut behind her as she entered the room. “You’ve never shown me how to do that, you know. I don’t just possess information about how your ship runs.”

Deanna sat up. “Where’s Mr. Homm?”

Lwaxonna sat down next to her daughter. “I left him behind.”

“You never do that.”

Lwaxonna sighed. “Oh darling, I didn’t even bring my things.”

“You didn’t?”

“No. I hired a transport as soon as you called.” 

They gazed at each, the same small smile on their faces, the same worried brows. 

“What happened?”

Deana ducked her head, shaking her curly locks. She sniffed.

Lwaxonna’s voice was low as she took her daughter’s hands. “What happened?”

Deanna’s eyes were round with tears as she met her mother’s gaze. Her voice was small. “My friend. She’s dead.” The moment she choked the words out, the tears began pouring down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook and she covered her mouth her hands. “Oh god.” She buried her head in her mother’s shoulder, her arms clutching her as they hadn’t since she was a child.

Lwaxonna wrapped her arms around Deanna, holding her tight to her chest. _“That’s right dear,” _she said. _“Just let it all out.”___

_____ _

_____ _

Minutes later, Deanna withdrew herself, wiping her eyes and pushing her hair back. Her mother handed her a silk handkerchief with a checkerboard pattern. She composed herself.

At last, Lwaxonna gave her daughter a sweet smile and pushed her black hair behind her ear. “Now,” she said. “Tell me all about it.”

Deanna sniffed again and began to talk.

***

“Captain Picard,” the man on the screen said. “I’ve been in touch with your android.”

Data and Geordi shared a brief glance as Picard nodded. “You must be Professor S’lok.”

“Yes,” the elderly Vulcan said curtly. “I will be accompanying you to the K’ret III settlement.”

“Understood. When will you arrive?”

“I will be there in approximately one hour. I take it you are in orbit?”

“We are. We’ll be doing preliminary scans while we wait.”

“Unnecessary, but you may proceed.”

Picard nodded, a look of mild amusement on his face. “Thank you.”

“S’lok out.”

Picard smiled and turned to Data. “We may proceed.”

Geordi leaned over to Data. “Seems like a nice fellow.”

“Sarcasm?” Data asked.

Geordi nodded. “Did you catch how he referred to you as the captain’s android?”

“Yes. Most unusual, as he was quite respectful in our conversations.”

An alarm sounded as the ship rocked to the side.

“What was that?” Picard asked.

“I don’t know, sir,” Tasha said. “It’s like something brushed up against us, but there’s nothing there.”

“There is a high concentration of axion particles off the port bow,” Data said. 

“The way it moved against us was extremely erratic,” Geordi said. “Almost… organic.”

“Counselor,” Picard said, turning to Deanna. “Anything?”

Deanna shook her head, her eyebrows drawn. “No. If it was a lifeform, it would have to be a very primitive one. I can’t feel it above the crew.”

“Anything out there?” the captain asked. “More axion particles?”

“Negative,” Data said.

“I don’t understand,” Tasha said. “Axion particles?”

“Yes.” Data turned in his chair to face them. “They only appear when a metal in the duranium family is subjected to intense tachyon radiation. Since we are not at warp, it is safe to assume that the tachyons came from whatever hit us, which would be indicative of a cloaked ship. However, the tritanium alloy plating lining our hull would have to be stripped away first for the duranium to be reached.”

“How would it have done that so fast?” Geordi asked.

“Unknown.”

“Will,” Picard said. “Get a team out there immediately.”

“Recommend we go to yellow alert.” Worf asked.

“No, but let’s raise shields. Someone let Professor S’lok know what’s happened.” Picard gazed out the viewscreen. “And Data, keep scanning.”

“Worf, Tasha, you’re with me,” Will said, striding to the turbolift. 

“No,” Picard said. “No senior staff. And that includes you.”

“Yes, sir.”

***

Captain Picard and Data beamed down to the surface of K’ret III, a desert, just outside the city limits of the abandoned colony. S’lok was waiting for them, scrolling through the PADD in his hands.

“You’re tardy,” he said without taking his eyes from the screen.

“We informed you of the situation on board our ship,” Picard said.

“Yes of course.” S’lok lifted his gaze to them. “Shall we begin the tour?”

“Please.” Picard said, falling in line behind the Vulcan as they entered the settlement.

Whereas the other deserted settlements had been villages, this one was almost a city, once home to over a thousand people. It was beautiful, even abandoned as it was, large water gardens, now dried up, towering buildings of glass, now coated in dust, geometric greenhouses as centers of community, crusted over with sand. The architecture was modern, beautiful. It drew the eye forward and left a blinding view of the dunes all around. It was not hard to see it as it once was, a miniature metropolis, a center of future growth. 

As beautiful as it was, it had an aching emptiness to it. The sidewalks themselves knew that they needed people to walk on them, and had none. The city was a shed snake skin lying on the desert floor.

As they walked, Professor S’lok told the story of the colony, how research parties had discovered vast amounts of rododendrine, inside the particles of sand themselves, how the skyscrapers were really factories to extract it, how the colony had thrived for five years. Five years, and then, nothing.

Communications stopped overnight, the channels still open, the people just gone. They had done extensive studies, documented every clue, scanned every inch, tested every vial of sampled sand. And they had found nothing. No changes, nothing, just… gone. Everything as though it had simply been dropped where it was, everything except for one piece of paper, in an office in one of the factories. Paper was unusual, unnecessary, everything was digital. Yet there it was, with one word written on it. Croatan.

It had been an unusual clue, but no special importance was put to it. All the information had been compiled and uploaded to the cloud, in the hopes that one day, someone would find it and solve the mystery. 

“We welcome your investigation,” S’lok said. “Though we do ask that you not enter the colony without me, for conservation purposes.”

“Of course,” Picard said. “We appreciate your willingness to help.”

“I’ve worked on this case for most of my life. I am eager to solve it.”

“May I ask,” Data interjected. S’lok looked annoyed for just a moment, but neutrality returned to his face so fast it might have been imagined. “Are there field notes of the investigators available? That weren’t on the cloud.”

“Yes, there are. I would prefer to review them first before lending them to you, but I will look into it.”

“Thank you.”

Picard glanced between the two of them and smiled. “Well, if the tour is over?”

“It is,” S’lok said. “I must be returning to Vulcan shortly. I am needed at the Institute of History.”

“Thank you so much for all you’ve done, Professor.”

“You are welcome.” S’lok raised his hand, fingers parted. “Live long and prosper.”

“Live long and prosper,” they both replied.

Picard tapped his combadge. “Two to beam up.”

And all that was left was shimmering air in an empty snake skin, lying on the desert floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have done way too much research for this. Like, way too much.


	3. Rotting Metal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew examines new evidence as the mystery unfolds.

The computer chimed, signifying that someone was at the door. Deanna sighed and dragged herself off the couch. “Come in,” she said, wiping the hair out of her face.

The doors slid open to reveal Will Riker. “Hi, Deanna,” he said as he walked in.

“Hi, Will,” she said, a soft smile coming to her lips, sincere for the first time in days.

“I heard your mother’s on board?”

Deanna nodded. “She’s in the shower.”

“Ah. Can I sit down?”

“Sure.”

He sat on one end of the couch, and Deanna reclaimed her spot on the other end. They sat in silence for a minute.

“I heard about what she said.” 

There was no question who he was talking about. No question the exact moment he referred to.

“I’m surprised the whole ship doesn’t know.”

“Well, you know what they say-”

“Gossip travels at warp speed,” Deanna said flatly.

In the silence, you could hear the shower in the other room, real, not sonic.

“Did you know?”

Deanna leaned back against the couch, her curly hair falling in front of her face. “I don’t know. When it happened, I knew I didn’t, but after? Sometimes I wonder.”

Will hesitated, crossing one leg over the other. “And you?”

Deanna exhaled impatiently. “And I what? Did I love her? That’s what everyone wants to know, isn’t it?” She stood, beginning to pace. “Why do you want to know, Will? I know you’re already jealous of me and Worf. You just can’t stand another one, can you? And one you’ll never be able to live up to either-” She turned on him, raising her voice. “Because she’s dead!”

You could hear the shower being shut off in the other room.

Deanna sank, dropping her head into her hands, sitting down on the glass coffee table.

“That’s not what I meant,” Will said. “That’s not why I’m here, Deanna, and you know it.”

“I know,” Deanna moaned.

Will stood. “I think your mother’s out of the shower now.”

“Bye, Will.”

The door slid shut.

A minute later, Lwaxonna emerged from the bathroom, wearing a robe and a towel around her hair. She sat down on the coffee table as well, though Deanna was turned from her. She placed her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “You know,” she said. “You’re not the only one who lost her.”

***

“This is so weird,” Beverly said, a wide smile on her face. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Inquiry.” Data tilted his head. “Why are you happy? It is a metal sample.”

Beverly laughed. “Oh Data. If you could, you’d be smiling too. It’s just…” She gestured toward the force field enclosed sample. “Fascinating.”

“It is most unusual.”

“Exactly. What a mystery!”

“It seems we have several of those,” Picard said as he walked in the room. “You called for me?”

“Yes,” Beverly said, her eyes shining bright as she danced around the force field. “This is the sample from the hull. Really one of a kind. Data?” She bounced on the balls of her feet, clutching a tricorder as Data spoke.

“The most striking characteristic is the temporal variance. This piece of the hull seems to be over a hundred years older than the rest of the ship.”

“A hundred years?” Picard asked. “Are you certain?”

“One hundred and twenty-one years, seven months, to be precise.”

“But look!” Beverly pointed inside the force field. “Look what happened in that time.”

Inside the force field, resting on a stand was a mottled piece of two toned metal almost a foot and a half long. In some places, it was nearly ten inches high, in others, no more than half that. The duranium layer was clearly visible, separate from the tritanium plating. But the strangest thing was the way the duranium was exposed through the tritanium alloy. It hadn’t been stripped away, melted away, burned through. Phasers hadn’t been used to penetrate it, transporters hadn’t been used to beam the tritanium away.

“Rot,” Beverly said. “Not rust. Rot.”

The tritanium had been eaten away, corroded to reveal the duranium, which was also starting to show the signs of time.

“I didn’t know tritanium could rot,” Picard said.

“This is the first instance recorded,” replied Data.

“But that’s not all,” Beverly said, bringing up a display on the screen. “There’s bits of an organic compound all over it. It didn’t just rot on its own, something triggered it.”

“A lifeform? Geordi thought its movement was organic.”

“Perhaps,” Data said. “It may also be a biological weapon.”

“With a temporal flux built in?”

“The technology would be beyond anything the Federation has, but we should consider every option.”

“Of course,” Picard said, peering at the unusual piece of falling apart metal. “Take every precaution, Doctor.”

“We’ve been beaming it from location to location. No one’s touched it.” Beverly bit her lip. “Maybe we should test that,” she said, almost to herself. “Collect the organic substance and see what materials it corrodes.”

Picard nodded. “Proceed.”

***

The doors swooshed open to the ready room.

“You needed me?” Will asked, standing in the doorway. 

Picard gestured for him to come in. “S’lok sent the field reports of the investigators.”

The doors closed behind him. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Picard said, leaning to rest his arms, fingers interlaced, on his desk. “The reports show many similarities with the disappearance of the Wilderson colony, as well as what little we know of the Andorian settlement. But Data noticed some discrepancies in the logs. There’s information missing.”

“Missing? So S’lok is hiding something from us?”

“I don’t know,” Picard said, standing and pulling his uniform shirt down. He crossed the room the replicator. “Tea. Earl grey. Hot.”

“What are we going to do about it?”

“The mistakes that gave it away were very small. Only Data would have noticed them.” Picard leaned against his desk, taking a sip from his mug. “We pretend that we don’t know. There’s still a lot that S’lok can help us with; we don’t want to jeopardize our relationship.”

“Why would he be hiding anything?”

“I don’t know.” Picard blew on his tea. “But there’s something off about him. I’ve gotten a strange feeling from him since the beginning.”

Will leaned back in his chair. “Well what do we know?”

Picard swallowed his tea. “There is one thing. From the records we have access to, everything considered, the Wilderson colony, the Andorian colony, the colony of K’ret III, they’re all almost identical.”

“Didn’t we already know that?”

“Yes,” Picard said, sighing. “The problem is, they’re not the same as Roanoke.”


	4. Pwdr ser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the diary of Wenefrid Powell, member of the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

May 1938

These pages were found on the westward side of the Roanoke island in 1590 by the party of Governor John White. It is said that the pages were found flying around in the wind of a terrible storm and were barely recovered. They were donated by the descendants of the finder, Richard Pugh. – Elizabeth Cullins, museum curator

_Wenefrid Powell, 1588_

_Thursday – Windy. Edward went fishing with Goodman Ellis. There will be trout for supper._

_Fryday – Windy. Agnes fell in the brook in front of Goodman Taverner this noon. She was embarrassed, as she has sought his favor, but I know that he has his eye on Miss Jane, and scarce noticed. Fowl for supper._

_Saterday – Clouds and wind. Boar for supper._

_Sunday – Rain. Boar stew for supper._

_Munday – Warm day with clouds. Agnes and I took a picnic to the beach. We cried for her husband and child she lost._

_Tusday – Cloudy day. I tried some of Edward’s smoking tobacco. I do not know how he likes it. Deer for supper._

_Wednesday – Clouds and wind. Deer for supper._

_Thursday – Cloudy. There was a commotion in the square today. Young Master Ambrose Viccars was found stealing from Goodwife Harvie. He was paddled twenty times. Deer for supper._

_Fryday – Bitter cold day, but clear skies._

_Saterday – Strange clouds like bowls, lined up in rows. Young Master Ambrose Viccars is ill with the food poisoning. The tea leaves he stole from Goodwife Harvie were collected from a plant that is poisonous. She did not know when she collected them, but in her frail state, she would not have survived them._

_Sunday – Windy. Agnes and I went to the beach and smoked tobacco. We prayed for her passed husband and child._

_Munday – Windy. Fowl for supper._

_Tusday morning – I am afeared for the mighty power of Our God. I was awoken in the night by a low wailing outside our house. I supposed it to be Agnes, but when I left the house, I heard the wailing again. No earthly thing made that sound. It seemed to come from all around me. In the sky, I saw bright moving lights, the color of a baby’s skin. I dare not tell Edward what I saw. I pray for the sunrise._

_Tusday evening – There was a town meeting this evening. Master Ananias Dare told us all that several of the women, though he didn’t name who, had seen a tremendous horrible thing in the sky this morning. He told us that the claims were not to be listened to, that they were false, unGodly, and caused by female hysteria. I will never tell what I saw. He also told us that Young Master Ambrose Viccars is not to be found. Goodwife Viccars is mighty feared for him. The men of the company are searching the island. Indians are suspected._

_Wednesday morning – Rain. The Viccars child has not been found. Goodwife Elyoner Dare told Agnes of a lightning cloud like a rose that she saw in the sky. I did not tell Agnes of what I saw, but I believe it to be the same. I fear God is not with us in this strange new world._

_Wednesday evening – There has been found in the woods a strange rotten form, the size of a small dog. It is believed to be a corps. Edward says the men sent it off to sea, and the moment it touched the waves, it melted away. I have never heard of such a thing, and I wish I had seen it before they disposed of it. I wish Edward had told me first. He never tells me anything._

_Wednesday night – Edward’s arm is in a rash, causing his skin to flake. It is not like a burn from the sun, but like rot. He is in great pain. I and Agnes are praying to Our God for him. I will not touch it with mine own hands. The bandages will not stay on. They rot off._

_Thursday – Half the men in the village have the same spreading rash. Goodwife Alis Chapman has made a comfrey salve for them, but it only grows._

_Fryday – Edward’s whole body is covered in the rash. Master Roger Bailie is dead. Master Christopher Cooper met with the chief of the Croatan Indians. He says they do not know of the disease that plagues us. It is not of this land. I cannot help but think of the strange sight I saw in the heavens three days afore. The rot had not appeared before then. The chief has agreed to take the unaffected members of our company back with him to his tribe. Agnes is going. I stay for Edward. I only hope young Virginia lives._

_Fryday evening – Edward is dead._

_Saterday – This morning, Edward’s body had rotten away. The bed he rested on is gone as well. I am only glad that I slept on the floor. The house still smells of it, earthen decay. I hope to leave tomorrow morning to join Agnes and the Indians._

_Saterday evening – Master Ananias Dare returned from the beach, where he spent the morning. There is something mighty wrong with him. He speaks not, only widens his eyes and stares. He is cold and pale as death. Though he had many grey hairs before, his head is now covered in hair as white as snow. I cannot coax him to eat a bite of food, or drink a drop of water. I hope I never see what he saw on that beach. Though he has not yet showed signs of rot, I will leave him in the morn._

_Sunday– I woke this morning to an unGodly sight, one I heard spoken of as a child in Wales._ Pwdr ser, _the_ ‘rot from the sky’. _It was piled on roofs and trees. Already the beams of the houses were beginning to rot away. I thought it would not be in the new world. I did not touch it, as I remember the tales, and left without saying goodbye to the few living men. The rot spreads so fast, I only pray I can outrun it. I will make it to Agnes. The only thing I have of my own is my diary. Our God has abandoned us, and so I abandon him._


	5. New Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New evidence is considered.

Deanna rolled over in bed, turning to gaze at the sleeping man beside her. She played with a strand of his long, wavy hair, admiring the peace his face wore in sleep that was never to be seen elsewhere.

It wasn’t long before his eyes opened. He was never asleep when she was awake. They stared, black eyes peering at each other in the dark.

“What is it?” Worf asked.

Deanna didn’t want to answer, to interrupt the calm she felt for the first time in days, but she spoke anyway, her voice soft to his gravely words.

“I was just wondering…” she began. “You were friends. With Tasha, right at the beginning, before anyone else was. Why?”

He rolled from his side onto his back, his harsh profile silhouetted in darkness as he looked at the ceiling. 

“I wouldn’t say friends,” he said.

“You never say friends,” Deanna reminded him.

He grunted in acknowledgement. After a pause he said simply, “She was a warrior.”

There wasn’t anything else to be said. They both stared at the ceiling, content to be in each other’s silence, knowing what the other one was thinking without having to say it, and not just because one was an empath.

Deanna shifted closer, turning to cocoon herself in his side, resting her head on his chest. He reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her, cradling her. 

She could feel his mind, still like the surface of a lake, and she allowed herself to reflect it in her own thoughts, tranquil.

They remained that way for hours, falling in and out of sleep, sharing one thought between them, reflecting and growing as it passed from one to the other, uniting into some stronger feeling, something that they both understood was greater than them. If Deanna had been thinking anything else, she may have wondered how, if Worf was not empathic, did he think of it when she did. But she didn’t, her mind only occupied with one thought, spreading peace as it grew.

‘Tasha Yar was a warrior.’

***

“It was Geordi who found the documents,” Data politely reminded Tasha.

“Yeah, but it was your idea where to look for them.” Geordi smiled around the straw in his mouth.

Tasha leaned back in her chair, giving a quick glance around for the waiter. “Well it sure impressed the captain. I can’t believe you found them after 800 years.”

“Technically, they went missing from the public in the Earth year 1952. Before that, they were displayed in a local museum. It has been kept in private, passed down from generation to generation from the museum curator.”

“Pretty clever, to think of contacting them,” Tasha said. The waiter arrived with her drink. “Thank you,” she said before taking a sip. “Can’t you just give me a clue as to what they said?” she asked Geordi.

“I would, but I haven’t even read them. I gave them straight to Picard.”

“Ugh. Well there’ll probably be a debriefing anytime now.”

As though on cue, all three of their combadges chimed at once. Tasha and Geordi laughed, while Data wore his ‘amused’ expression.

They made their way to the conference room. Tasha took a seat next to Beverly, commenting on her new haircut. They chatted friendlily as the rest of the senior staff arrived. Worf took a seat on Tasha’s other side.

Picard was leaned forward against the table, his eyebrows drawn in concern. Finally, everyone was seated.

“As many of you know, Data and Geordi recently uncovered a new document concerning the original Roanoke case,” he began. The rest of the room fell silent as he spoke. “The document is pages from a diary of one of the colonists. I think, perhaps, it would be best if you all read it for yourselves.” He gestured to the PADDs on the table in front of them. They picked them up and began to read.

After a long while, Beverly spoke. “How don’t we know about this? Why wasn’t this taken into account by historians when trying to find out where they went?”

Will answered. “Everybody thought it was a hoax. There were several other hoaxes created to explain the disappearance, most famously the Virginia stones.”

“However, taking into account what we have found on the substance that caused a portion of our hull to rot away, I think we can take it a little more seriously,” Picard said.

“What about the other colonies?” Geordi asked. “The other ones with the word, ‘Croatan’. Does this explain them?”

“No,” Picard said. “That's the problem. There are some significant differences. At Roanoke, all the buildings, everything, was gone. Previously it was thought that they’d been dismantled, taken somewhere else. But taking this diary into account,” He gestured to the PADDs. “I believe it makes sense that they simply rotted where they stood. Whereas the other settlements, Wilderson, K’ret III, the Andorian colony, everything was still in place.”

“But what was it?” Tasha asked. “If we assume that what hit us in orbit of K’ret III, and this,” She looked back at the PADD. “This ‘rot from the stars’ are the same thing, what is it?”

“It would make some sense for it to be a biological weapon,” Data said. “Dispensed from a cloaked ship.”

“It would have to be ancient technology,” Geordi said. “And still in use today. Who has anything like that?”

“No one that we know of,” Will said.

“We’re going to go back to K’ret III,” Picard said. “That’s where we last made contact with it. We can scan for tachyons.”

***

“You wanted to see me?” S’lok said, standing in the doorway of the ready room, hands neatly clasped in front of him.

“Yes.” Picard set down his PADD and motioned for the Vulcan to take a seat. “I assume you’ve received our communications?”

“Yes,” S’lok said. “A most unusual turn of events.”

“What do you think, in relation to K’ret III?”

S’lok paused for a moment before speaking. “I think we can assume that the Roanoke colony is an outlier and should not be taken into account when attempting to solve the K’ret III disappearance.”

“Not entirely,” Picard said. “Did you receive the results from our analysis of our hull fragment that was hit while in orbit here?”

“I did not have a chance to study them before attending our meeting,” S’lok said.

“Then let me summarize. Whatever hit us has shown the properties described in the documents from Roanoke. It rotted a part of our hull away in a fraction of time. Our hull is made from a tritanium alloy, which isn’t supposed to be able to rot, or even rust, but it did. Whatever happened at Roanoke was not a natural occurrence. Nothing in the known universe has been shown to rot that fast, though we can assume that, similar to what happened to us, there was a temporal variable in place.”

S’lok nodded solemnly, taking a long moment to respond. “I’m uncertain as to the significance; it seems most likely to be a coincidence. The properties of tritanium have not been fully tested. It could simply be a reaction to a normal space occurrence.”

Picard wrinkled his eyebrows, leaning back in his chair. “Not fully tested? Tritanium is a reliable material that Starfleet has been using for hundreds of years and nothing like this has ever happened.”

“You said yourself that it was a tritanium alloy, so not pure, not certain, and not as reliable as you think.”

“I was under the impression that the Vulcan fleet also employed tritanium and tritanium alloys.”

“You were wrong.”

Picard stared at him for a moment before dropping his gaze to the desk. “Perhaps.”

S’lok nodded. “If that is all?”

“Yes,” Picard said, standing to see him out. “Thank you for your time, Professor.”

“You’re welcome, Captain.”

Picard sat down as the doors slid shut. He didn't even have to look it up to know that the Vulcan fleet did indeed use tritanium. As he picked up his PADD, he had only one thought in his mind. S’lok was a liar.


	6. Shore Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tasha and Deanna enjoy their shore leave.

“Mind if I sit here?” Tasha asked, sun in her eyes, gesturing to the empty sand.

“Of course not,” Deanna said as the blonde spread her towel. “How are you enjoying the weather?”

“Oh, it’s perfect,” Tasha said. “I mean, the ship’s always the right temperature, but it’s different when it’s real.” She unbuttoned her striped men’s shirt to reveal a one piece black swimming suit. 

Deanna propped herself up on her elbows, her sunglasses sliding fractionally down her noise. “I miss the sunshine when we go too long without shore leave.”

“Oh, me too.” Tasha leaned back on her towel, sighing. “What are you going to be doing today?”

“Will and I were going to go get drinks at that place in town this evening. But other than that, I’ve got the whole day to myself.”

“Well don’t let me intrude on your personal time. I can go lay somewhere else.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Deanna said. “I like sharing my time with you.”

Tasha smiled.

They lay there for an hour or so, watching the waves roll gently on the sand, watching the shimmering birds dance overhead. 

Tasha brushed sand off her striped towel as Deanna finished off her drink. Tasha pointed out across the lagoon. “See that cliff?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go jump off it.”

“It’s clear back in the jungle! That’s got to be at least a mile hike.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun. There’s a trail that leads almost the whole way there. Don’t you still have several hours before you’re meeting with Will?”

“Yes, but…”

Tasha rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. Her hair flopped in front of her eyes, the breeze toying with it. “Oh come on, please? I dare you.”

Deanna squinted at her friend, but a small smile crept onto her face. “Okay,” she said, standing up. 

“Great!” Tasha hopped up beside her.

Deanna slipped a robe on over her bikini and sprinted towards the jungle without warning, her dark curls waving behind her.

“Hey, wait up!” Tasha said, grabbing her shirt and tripping over herself as she tried to catch up.

They ran together to the edge of the jungle, laughter spilling through the air. They stopped at the beginning of the trail, Deanna bent over, panting.

“That’s what you get for running away from me,” Tasha said, pulling the shirt on, leaving her legs bare.

Deanna laughed, still out of breath. “I would never run away from you.”

The jungle was dense, full of calling birds and bright chattering insects. They slapped at mosquitos as they went along, tripping barefoot over roots and vines.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been anywhere like this,” Deanna said, her hair and robe catching on vines as they walked. “It’s beautiful.”

“It sure is,” Tasha said, pushing aside ferns and leaves. “You know, this is only the second time I’ve ever been in a jungle?”

“Really? What was the first?”

“A training exercise at the Academy. But I didn’t really have time to appreciate it then. It’s a lot… noisier than I remember.”

“I’ve always found jungles so peaceful. We used to visit one back on Betazed. It was called the Thatan Forest. It was always pulsing with life. To me, the noise is a heartbeat, not a nuisance.”

“Can’t it be the same thing?”

Deanna furrowed her eyebrows as she turned to Tasha. “It shouldn’t be.”

After a good half hour of hiking, at the end through thick brush, they came to a rocky clearing. On the far side of the clearing was the cliff. 

Tasha sat down on a boulder, taking off her shirt and leaning back to catch her breath. Deanna sat cross-legged on the ground.

“My hair is so unmanageable,” Deanna complained, attempting to pull it away from her face in a bun. “It’s this humidity. It just, poofs,” she said, demonstrating with her hands exactly how it poofs.

Tasha laughed. “I’ve never had to worry about that.”

“That’s because you have straight, fine hair. And it’s so short.”

“Yeah,” Tasha said. “I’ve never had long hair. I don’t think I could stand it.”

Deanna nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe someday you should try it.”

Tasha shrugged. “Maybe.”

They both knew she never would.

Tasha hopped up from her seat. “Come on, let’s jump.”

“Oh no,” Deanna said, laughing, still tucking hair into a massive, fluffy bun. 

They walked to the edge.

“It’s such a long way down,” Deanna said. “A lot longer than it looked from the beach.”

“I’ve jumped farther,” Tasha said, shaking out her arms and legs. “Take off your robe, you don’t want to get tangled in it.”

Deanna dropped her robe alongside Tasha’s shirt. “I’m not sure I want to do this. Maybe I’ll just wait here for you.”

“No, come on,” Tasha said. “It’ll be fun. You can brag to Will about it.” 

Deanna laughed. “Good point.” She nodded. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

Tasha held out her hand. Deanna took it. They could feel each other’s heartbeat in their palms. Deanna squeezed her hand.

They went to the very edge. Tasha’s toes hung out over the rocks. “One,” Tasha said. “Two,” they said together. Deanna took a deep breath and plugged her nose with her free hand. “Three,” Tasha said, and they jumped.

And they fell.

And before they hit the water, they were still holding hands.

And they hit, water splashing up around them, swallowing them, their momentum forcing them down, bubbles swirling around them, the water pressing in on every side, not knowing which way is up, until their toes hit the bottom. They pushed back up.

They gasped for air as they surfaced, looking around for one another. 

“Wasn’t that fun?” Tasha said. 

“No!” Deanna replied, but she was laughing.

Their feet kicked beneath the water, treading as they gasped for air. They swam back to the rocky cliff, grasping to its rough surface to give their legs a break.

“How are we going to get back?” Deanna said.

Tasha looked between the cliff and the sandy shore nearly a mile away. “I didn’t think this part through,” she said. She pointed to an accessible spot on the jungle line. “We could swim and come up there.”

“My robe is up there,” Deanna said, pointing up the cliff. 

“I’ll get it,” Tasha said, hoisting herself up the rocky face.

“Oh no,” Deanna said. “You’ll hurt yourself.” She grabbed Tasha’s ankle to keep her from climbing. “We can swim and then walk back for it.”

Tasha rolled her eyes and jumped back in the water. “Fine,” she said. “We’ll swim.”

They began to swim, both just gently paddling toward the muddy slope on the jungle line.

“Race you there,” Tasha said suddenly, streamlining her movements to speed up.

“Wait a minute,” Deanna said, hurrying to keep up. “Wait!”

Deanna overtook Tasha in less than a minute, and solidly beat her to the muddy jungle shore. She climbed up the slippery slope, using vines to drag herself out of the water. Tasha reached the shore soon after, and Deanna helped her out of the water. 

“That is the second time you’ve beat me today,” Tasha said, wiping hair out of her eyes with a muddy hand. “How did you do that?”

Deanna shrugged. “I’m a good swimmer.”

They walked slowly back to the cliff, and got there in less than five minutes, turning around to walk the mile back to shore.

“Really,” Tasha said. “How did you learn to swim like that?”

“Most Betazeds are good swimmers,” she said. “So was my dad, even though he was human. He used to compete, before he injured his knee. So he made sure I could swim, and lived vicariously through me. I was in all sorts of competitions when I was younger.”

“Did you win any?”

“A few. Some of the kids teased me for being half human, said I couldn’t swim cause of that, so I had to beat them.”

“Just to show them?”

“Just to show them.”

“I didn’t learn how to swim until I joined the Academy,” Tasha said. “But I was top of my class.”

“I can believe that,” Deanna said. “You’re pretty fast.”

“Really? You acted like you didn’t even have to try to beat me.”

“Oh, I did.”

“You did not.”

“Did too! I’m going to be sore for a week.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Deanna laughed and shook her head. “Okay.”

They walked in silence for a moment, not total silence, as the sounds of the jungle throbbed around them, but still, silence.

“Why did you become a counselor?” Tasha asked at last.

Deanna didn’t answer at first, just watched her bare feet as she walked. “When my father died, my mother and I were heartbroken. Didn’t know what to do.” She pushed aside a branch, holding it back as Tasha passed through. “A friend said we should go to a counselor, so we did. Together at first, and then we started getting separate appointments. She helped us a lot, helped me a lot. I don’t know what would have happened without her.” She sighed. “When I got older, had to decide what to do with my life, I decided I wanted to help people, the way she helped me.”

“That’s really cool.”

“It’s how most therapists get started.” After a pause she said, “What about you? Why security officer?”

Tasha laughed. “You already know. I went to you for a year, told you everything. You know.”

“That was as your counselor. I want to know as your friend.”

Tasha smiled. “When I was rescued, it was a security officer that did it. I really looked up to him for a long while.” She shrugged. “I didn’t really know anything else, didn’t know what else to do. So I applied for the Academy, decided to try to be the same thing as him.”

Deanna brushed her hand against Tasha. “You know,” she said. “I think you’re incredibly brave.”

Tasha laughed. “You haven’t seen me be brave. I’ve been through a lot worse.”

“No,” Deanna said, shaking her head. “I think you’re brave for being gentle despite going through worse.”

Tasha ducked her head and smiled softly. “No one’s ever called me gentle. Most people just run away from me.”

“I would never run away from you.”


End file.
